Fruity Saturday is coming !!!!

Yes folks, Fruity Saturday is almost upon us - make a date in your diary to come and see us at the allotment for a fun day.  We've all been really busy at the allotment, sprucing things up for your enjoyment.  We know this by the amount of biscuits that we've got through these past few sessions!

Fruity Saturday, 20th June, 11 till 3pm

Free admission

Smoothie Bikes
Fruit kebabs
Fruit themed activities
Tombola and more ...
Refreshments and toilet available on site

Busy busy busy!

Any allotment gardener will tell you that May is one of the busiest times of year - there's the things we should have sown earlier in the month but it was too cold, the things which we couldn't plant in April because it was too dry - plus all the things which just need doing NOW!
So it was fabulous to get 16 volunteers today, which with various visitors brought the total to 22 - we think this is a record.

 They weeded....

 They strimmed and raked...

They planted...

 They mowed and composted...

And they drank some well-deserved tea and had a good natter!

Lovely weather

Lots of volunteers making best use of the lovely weather on Wednesday!
We watered, weeded, sowed, planted, dug, tidied - and had a cuppa and some lovely banana cake - thanks Gill!

Public Events for 2015

Saturday 25th April 10.00am till Noon – ‘Bee Box Workshop’ at Dig In *
Come and make your own bee box to put up in your garden to help our precious bees!
Book your place by emailing: bookings@diginstapleford.org.uk

Saturday 6th June – ‘Hemlock Happening’ at Bramcote Park
Come and visit our Dig In stall!

Saturday 20th June 11.00am till 3pm – ‘Fruity Saturday’ at Dig In * 
Cream teas, craft activities, smoothie bikes with Pulp Friction, refreshments, fruit kebabs, jams and preserves, tombola etc.

Saturday 5th September – ‘Stapleford Carnival’, Ilkeston Rd
Come and visit our Dig In stall!

Sunday 6th September 10.00am – Sponsored Walk for Dig In, Wollaton Park at the Shoe Aid charity walk. Walkers follow a 3km or 5km route barefoot to highlight the plight of people around the world who have no choice but to walk barefoot. There will be a music festival, live entertainment, craft stalls, food stalls and real ale! It's an all-day family event and great fun! Bring ANY old shoes to donate as these will be sent to third-world countries. There is a £10 registration for Shoe Aid for walkers only and this can be paid when you pick your sponsor forms up from Dig In. Please help us raise funds for Dig In!

Saturday 24th October 11.00am till 3pm – ‘Harvest Event’ at Dig In *
Apple pancakes, apple pressing, smoothie bikes with Pulp Friction, pumpkin carving, chutneys and preserves, activities, seasonal produce grown on the allotment will be available for a small donation, tombola etc.

Events marked * are free entry but there may be donation requests for certain activities. All donations welcome to help us with running costs!
Dig In is run for the benefit of the community by volunteers.
All dates are subject to change, plus there could be additional events, including Pond Dips from time to time so please check on the Facebook page, the Dig In Blog or ring the doorbell on the allotment gate any Wednesday or Saturday 10am – 12 midday.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Gardening Under Cover

Today we had the first outdoors tea-break of the year, at least so far as I can remember! But though it was sunny and warm, it's still not warm enough for most plants to go outside. And although the cabbage family are a hardy tribe, they need protection against some of the wildlife inhabitants of the allotment which want to eat them before us. So a range of structures are appearing around Dig In...

One of our regular volunteers has been inventing the perfect cabbage 'cage'. Rather than pop down the garden centre, he's been to the plumber's merchants and scaffolding suppliers. We're not so worried about the butterflies and pigeons yet so it's OK that there's no mesh over whilst the frames get finished off.

Plastic cloches - useful while it's still cold. On the other side is an enviromesh tunnel - it'll keep out the cabbage butterflies too. In the middle - bit of an old gazebo!

 

 Our polytunnel is under cover too, of course, and we're very pleased with the overwintering salad crops. And of course it's great for when it's not sunny enough to sit outside to compare the merits of custard creams and jammy dodgers!

Home Sweet Home

Well, we hope so! On a busy Early March Wednesday, Debbie and Helen fixed nestboxes to the big cherry tree.

No trees were hurt in the making of this residence!
 We also had a lovely group of students from Central College, who created a perfect home for seeds in helping us sow sweet peas, and who checked who was at home in the pond. (Water Boatmen, Damselfly larvae and Midge larvae)

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It's pruning time...

...so out with the secateurs, loppers and pruning saws!

Here's Linda carefully sawing off an old stem on a blackcurrant. That'll make younger shoots grow, which is where you get most blackcurrants. 

 And here's Stephen and Sarah deciding what to prune on one of our Bramley's Seedling apple trees. Pruning (in my opinion!) can be quite a thoughtful task, one which you can lose yourself in. Till someone calls "TEA UP!"